**2. Urbanization and urban agriculture/horticulture**

Reasons for urbanization include employment opportunities (access to better paid jobs) and modernization. However, ills of urbanization have been identified to include crime, global warming, unhealthy environment, experienced in slums due to overcrowding and unemployment [8]. Population in some urban areas of West Africa has increased from 4% in 1920 to 45% in 2011. Urbanization has resulted in increased urban food demand challenging food production, rural–urban linkages, transport and traditional market chains [13]. A significant percentage (60–100%) of the perishable vegetables consumed within some African cities such as Ghana, Dakar, Bamako and Dar es Salaam, are produced through urban vegetable farming. This indicates a high contribution of urban vegetable farming to balanced diet of these urban dwellers [14].

Urban agriculture can be sustained with adequate development of urban areas. International policy makers have identified the role of urban and peri-urban fruit and vegetables production in enhancing vitamin and micronutrient supply for households in the urban areas especially the poor ones [15].

Urban agriculture can increase employment and income which brings about the ability to purchase food and increase the diet of households thereby ensuring food security. For example, in Ghana during the post-independent economic crises, the government supported urban agriculture as a means of meeting the population's food demand by launching the "Operation Feed Yourself" programme in which the urban population were encouraged to practice aquaculture, plant everywhere and anywhere in the cities [16]. There were 800–1000 farmers in Accra (Ashiaman-Tema area) with 60% of them producing exotic vegetables while the remaining

**109**

*Urban Horticulture in Sub-Saharan Africa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90722*

plot size ranging between 0.01–0.02 ha per farmer [13].

essential micronutrients in poor household diets [20, 21].

tion for home consumption and the market [22].

etables in urban areas should not be neglected.

environmentally friendly and equitable [26].

the urban population especially the poor [15].

**3. Empirical reviews on urban agriculture/horticulture**

safety and livelihoods.

40% produced indigenous vegetables. They produced exotic crops such as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, spring onions and indigenous crops such as okra, *Corchorus* spp., aubergine, hot pepper and tomato. These crops were grown within the city on

Moreover, urban agriculture is an important food security strategy for urban households [9, 17, 18] since it improves access to a ready fresh crops [19] rich in

Urban horticulture provides highly nutritious and healthy plant-based foods; it also serves as a means of securing the livelihood of urban population. For instance, more than 70% urban rowers in Tamale, Ghana are involved in vegetable produc-

It is important to include urban horticulture in urban land use planning and policy making because if well managed, it will serve as an important tool for

poverty reduction, environmental management and economic development in most developing countries. Several stakeholders are required to come together to achieve the benefits of urban horticulture including politicians, legislators, urban planners, land owners, entrepreneurs, producers and urban dwellers. These stakeholders act at the local, national and international levels to transform the concept to operational standards and actions which will enable it to contribute to food security, food

Participating in urban horticulture improves climatic factors, e.g., biodiversity,

Moreover, if urban horticulture is given more technical and institutional support, the sector may assist expanding African cities in achieving zero hunger [25]. Integrating urban agriculture into land use planning gives rise to urban greening, open green spaces, urban habitat diversity as well as reduction in noise and pollution. Economically, it will lead to food security and community revitalization through participation in community gardening. Income generation and employment creation can also be achieved through urban agriculture. In order to have a sustainable city, basic amenities such as water and waste have to be produced and managed in line with the principles of sustainable management, that is, economic,

An exploratory cross-sectional survey was carried out in Eldoret, Kenya to examine the effect of socio-economic characteristics of low-income horticultural food producers and sellers on their livelihoods and household food security. The results showed that male respondents were more involved in production while females were more involved in selling. Sellers were more food secure than producers while producers felt safer to make available quality food for their households when they experience tough food situations. Producers and sellers affect each other's livelihoods while the success of one group leads to that of the other. It is imperative to increase farming in the city in order to meet the employment and food needs of

Mkwambisi et al. [27] in their study, empirically examined the role of urban agriculture in urban households with focus on two main cities in Malawi- Lilongwe and Blantyre. The study observed that on the average, households surveyed could

air quality, water management. However, cultivation close to major roads and railways as well as abandoned sites should be avoided as they pose threats of health hazards to the consumers through contamination of the produce [23, 24]. Thus, the health implication of potential hazards obtained from producing fruits and veg-

#### *Urban Horticulture in Sub-Saharan Africa DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.90722*

*Urban Horticulture - Necessity of the Future*

to that urban area" [9].

iron, iodine, zinc [10].

crops in focus.

these urban dwellers [14].

educational facilities, better standard of living) [8].

**2. Urbanization and urban agriculture/horticulture**

households in the urban areas especially the poor ones [15].

There are various definitions of the term "urban"—an urban area can be determined based on a number of factors; for instance, population size, density, administrative function and other indicators such as infrastructure, facilities, employment [7]. Urbanization is the increase in number of people living in the cities caused by migration, commercialization, industrial growth and social factors (presence of

Urban Agriculture (UA) can be defined as "an industry within (intra-urban) or on the fringe (peri-urban) of a town, city or metropolis which grows, raises, processes and distributes a diversity of food and nonfood products using largely human and material resources, products and services found in and around that urban area and in turn supplying human and material resources, products and services largely

Fruits and vegetables form an essential part of horticultural crops rich in fiber, minerals and bioactive compounds. Consumption of fruits and vegetables is necessary to ensure healthy diets for balanced nutrition. They are consumed alongside staple foods and prevent diseases as a result of deficiencies across the population. Diets of most of urban dwellers are deficient in micronutrients such as vitamin A,

The most widespread form of urban agriculture involves horticultural crops [11]. From their own viewpoint, Dimas et al. [12] defined urban agriculture as the production of fruits, vegetables and food within the urban environment for household consumption and sale. Considering the aforementioned, it can be inferred that urban horticulture is urban agriculture which has to do with production of horticultural crops—fruits, vegetables, spices, and ornamental and other medicinal crops. Thus, in this chapter, urban horticulture is urban farming with horticultural

Reasons for urbanization include employment opportunities (access to better paid jobs) and modernization. However, ills of urbanization have been identified to include crime, global warming, unhealthy environment, experienced in slums due to overcrowding and unemployment [8]. Population in some urban areas of West Africa has increased from 4% in 1920 to 45% in 2011. Urbanization has resulted in increased urban food demand challenging food production, rural–urban linkages, transport and traditional market chains [13]. A significant percentage (60–100%) of the perishable vegetables consumed within some African cities such as Ghana, Dakar, Bamako and Dar es Salaam, are produced through urban vegetable farming. This indicates a high contribution of urban vegetable farming to balanced diet of

Urban agriculture can be sustained with adequate development of urban areas. International policy makers have identified the role of urban and peri-urban fruit and vegetables production in enhancing vitamin and micronutrient supply for

Urban agriculture can increase employment and income which brings about the ability to purchase food and increase the diet of households thereby ensuring food security. For example, in Ghana during the post-independent economic crises, the government supported urban agriculture as a means of meeting the population's food demand by launching the "Operation Feed Yourself" programme in which the urban population were encouraged to practice aquaculture, plant everywhere and anywhere in the cities [16]. There were 800–1000 farmers in Accra (Ashiaman-Tema area) with 60% of them producing exotic vegetables while the remaining

**108**

40% produced indigenous vegetables. They produced exotic crops such as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, spring onions and indigenous crops such as okra, *Corchorus* spp., aubergine, hot pepper and tomato. These crops were grown within the city on plot size ranging between 0.01–0.02 ha per farmer [13].

Moreover, urban agriculture is an important food security strategy for urban households [9, 17, 18] since it improves access to a ready fresh crops [19] rich in essential micronutrients in poor household diets [20, 21].

Urban horticulture provides highly nutritious and healthy plant-based foods; it also serves as a means of securing the livelihood of urban population. For instance, more than 70% urban rowers in Tamale, Ghana are involved in vegetable production for home consumption and the market [22].

It is important to include urban horticulture in urban land use planning and policy making because if well managed, it will serve as an important tool for poverty reduction, environmental management and economic development in most developing countries. Several stakeholders are required to come together to achieve the benefits of urban horticulture including politicians, legislators, urban planners, land owners, entrepreneurs, producers and urban dwellers. These stakeholders act at the local, national and international levels to transform the concept to operational standards and actions which will enable it to contribute to food security, food safety and livelihoods.

Participating in urban horticulture improves climatic factors, e.g., biodiversity, air quality, water management. However, cultivation close to major roads and railways as well as abandoned sites should be avoided as they pose threats of health hazards to the consumers through contamination of the produce [23, 24]. Thus, the health implication of potential hazards obtained from producing fruits and vegetables in urban areas should not be neglected.

Moreover, if urban horticulture is given more technical and institutional support, the sector may assist expanding African cities in achieving zero hunger [25].

Integrating urban agriculture into land use planning gives rise to urban greening, open green spaces, urban habitat diversity as well as reduction in noise and pollution. Economically, it will lead to food security and community revitalization through participation in community gardening. Income generation and employment creation can also be achieved through urban agriculture. In order to have a sustainable city, basic amenities such as water and waste have to be produced and managed in line with the principles of sustainable management, that is, economic, environmentally friendly and equitable [26].
